I’ve read to use cornmeal gluten in my garden to get weeds out. Is this the same cornmeal you can buy in the grocery store?

Question

If I can’t buy this at grocery store were do I get cornmeal gluten?

Answer 1

Check the date on the article you read. I’ll bet it was from about 10 years ago when corn gluten meal was a hot garden commodity. It was for sale at garden centers. Now it is hard to find because it turned out to be too good to be true. Researchers tested the notion that corn gluten meal suppressed weeds; results were mixed as a pre-emergent seed suppresser. This is partly due to critical timing and weather issues. Since it doesn’t kill established weeds, it must be used before they appear. The effect only lasts 6 weeks so. It is high in nitrogen and considered a relatively effective lawn food. Cornmeal and corn gluten meal are different products. If you decide to give it a try, get a product that is labeled as a pre-emergent herbicide apply 10 pounds per 1,000 sq feet as a lawn fertilizer. The rate for weed suppression (it affects all seeds, not just weeds) is 20 pounds per 1,000 sq ft. A brief look at the internet shows a 25 pound bag costs about $40. Details of the pros and cons as well as how to correctly apply corn gluten meal are in the article I’ve linked. https://www.gardenmyths.com/corn-gluten-meal-weeds/